Where Does Pirates Star Paul Skenes Rank in NL Cy Young Race?

The Pittsburgh Pirates and star pitcher Paul Skenes have put together a strong start to the 2026 MLB season.

At this point in time, the Pirates hold a 29-26 record. They are currently in the middle of a four-game series against the division rival Chicago Cubs and have taken the first two games of that series.

Entering the 2026 season, Pittsburgh was targeting an improved year. So far, the team has been able to make those goals become a reality. There is still a lot of season left, but the early returns have been positive.

With that being said, a new ranking has been shared about the National League Cy Young race. Where does Skenes land in those rankings? He's not No. 1 at this point in time.

MLB.com analyst Jared Greenspan shared his new rankings on May 27. He placed Skenes at No. 2 on his list behind Christopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies.

"Skenes described his latest outing as 'good and bad,' and that's somewhat indicative of his 2026 season to date. His quest for a second consecutive Cy Young Award has featured peaks and valleys. And of late, there's been more of the latter, as Skenes has allowed nine runs across his last two starts to raise his season ERA to 3.00," Greenspan wrote.

"We're not used to seeing his ERA begin with a '2,' let alone a '3.' But it would be foolish to think that Skenes won't rediscover his top form. The opposition is hitting just .183 against him, fourth lowest in the National League, and his 24.1% strikeout-minus-walk rate is T-3rd best in the NL."

Behind Skenes in the rankings were Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, and Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves.

So far this season, Skenes has made 11 starts. He has compiled a 6-4 record to go along with a 3.00 ERA, a 0.82 WHIP, a 7.2 K/BB ratio, and 60 innings pitched.

Skenes hasn't gotten off to as good of a start as he would have liked, but he is still No. 2 in the early-season Cy Young rankings. The 23-year-old superstar is likely to continue getting better as the season moves forward.